The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-11-06
MOODS OF GREAT MEN.

MOODS OF GREAT MEN.
From the London Telegraph
Inc confcssedly spurious proycrb, who
drives fat oxen should himself be fat, dcs-
ttutc ~ II Is both Of wisdom and Of appro-
Prihtchess, has thus much merit in it-that IL
mas frequently set people thinking rs 10 the
relation, II any there be, between u mans
genius and his temperament, or between his
VOCATION and his character. II is almost too
hhckheyed AN illustration 10 point out that
underwriters are additionally supposed Ia be
al as merry rs the Grayedgger IN Hamlet"
PIT Mould In Martin ChuzlewiLN or the
hldeously 1ovial "croqucmOr" in the "As-
somm0lr;' whereas, In fact, professional
clowns and drolls are generally saturninc
ana melancholy. II Is difficult 10 pronounce
Judgment In these matters with gertrude.
| notwithstanding all the industry aud acu-
men OF many boOk-makcrs, IL il 10 be- feared
mat We have not got at the real Lord Byron
yet and the public eyes will have 10 bc
cleared from I'M amazing quantity Of dust
some OF IL very bright and glittoring
partcles-before we are confronted with
the real Charles Dickens and the real
William Mnkepcace Thackemy. Charles
Lamb, on the other hand, has been COM
pletely revealed To us; andi Is good 10 know
that the inner being Of Ella cornspOndcd
almost exactly with his delightful essays.
| " " also thing humanity certain that
! Michel Angelo was In his private life, aud IN
ms published works, alike grandiosc, arro-
CANT and high minded, and that Rnfncllos
individuality WINS marked by the grace, the
gentlencss and the culture with which his
pictures, and more especially his drawings,
are rcp'ci". When We come 10 the pro
| lcsscdly tragic and comic artists the
psychological student Is pcrplc Vcd. Gar
rick, who rs an actor oSccllcd both In
tragedy and In comedy, seems 10 have leaned
IN private more 10 the humorous thnn 10 the
stern. John Kcmblc, although in the bosom
Of his family he maintained the stiltcd
solcmnity Of diction which characterized his
| dramatic uttcpnccS, was CHEEKY boon
| companion, who could say very
wngish things; aud Talma-the sublime
the poetic, the classical 'lalma, the intimate
Trend OF Napoleon the Grcat-wns IN private
the drollcst Of mmics. lie used to explain
his deNtcrity Ia fncinl contortions by remark
ing that lac had been in early life u dentist
ana was ia the habit ol attentivcly watching
aud niterwnrd Initiating In mirror the In
| hnitcly varying griinnccs Of his unfortunate
patients. As for Edmund Kran who before
lac took the town by storm Ia Shylock and
Richard, had played clown and harlequin
nnd OBLIGATED ~ ringrnnsier IN u circus his
! dcm"nnor IN private seems Ia have htCrnated
between sullcnncss and ohslrcprrous gaycty
! the last supcrinduccd 10y his unfortunate
habits but his distinguished sou, Charles
| was IN private u very cheerful aud even com.
zeal cuuycrsationalisL Marrendy would oil
the siuec, occasionally unbrnd, but IN cN-
| nRlTrntcd sclf-consciousncss rendered him
hhbitually moody and reserved save Ia his
| most intimate friends. II ~ nevertheless,
on mdubitahlc record that on one occasion,
az least at Douglas Jcrold's house nt Put.
ncy, the writer ut Mrs. Caudlc's Curtain
Lecture" the author ~ "rickwick. and
the original inpcrnnaiUr Nirgnius, Richie
lieu and Claude Mcnotic, enjoyed them
| selves immensely at u game at lcnp.frog.
Charles Dickens yehcmcnty ndiuring
| William Charles Mncrcndy tn tuck In his
! woprnny' rantomimic clowns ~ We have
| already observed, have long been spoken
! ~ ~ cunstitutiunnlly duwncnst and detected
| morials but the assertion stands much In
/ need IT ycriiicntion. There i an nnccdotc
| telling how the famous builuun Gtimnldi
once called. giving u fcigncd name ON Abcr
ncthy, aud described his symptoms Ia the
renowned surgeon tHusclosS anxiety,
slccplcssncss, loss ol appetite, nostalgia, aud
~ forth. Rubbish. man. quoth Abcr- |
ncthy, you're a bit hippcd. that's all
Go aud see Joey Grimaldi." "Iiut I
am Joey Grmaldi," replied the dis
consulate mime. The legend, with
slight variations. has been related OF n dozen
celebrated clowns In .. mauy. Earppc." cap
its- Tbpss 'i'o knew Joey intimately
aver that In private life lac wns simple
minded, even tempered and constiiutionnlly
jocular fellow, and when paralysis had
robbed him OF the use Of his limbs his oral
whims and oddities made him the delight III
the tavern pnrlor nj Pcntunville tonnd from
which every evening Ice used 10 Ice carried
ON a uan back.
There u another story, however, Ia con-
nection with this prince Of pantnmimists
whirh although IL fails 10 settle the ycNcd
! question ~ Ia whether tmgctliHns aud come
dians arr grave or gay In private life, or Vice
versa, once more strengthens the PROPOSE.
ton. "llumo duplex" Lord Eldun had nt
tanned his siNty.iifth year without having
| seen Gnmaldi. somebody told the nuslcV
chancellor ui the Immense succcSs of
the pantommc " Mother Goo-c" IN
which the part OF clown wn, enacted
hy joey" The krepcr of the royal con.
science went Ia see Mother Oo0,c." and w
delighted was he With the entertainment
that be- witnessed ~, performance lur eleven
surve~siNr evenings. The fact would -cem
a. show that IN every exceptionally gifted
mental organization them l. latent keen
appreciation of humor u Is only the in
lcnrimhly dull who never laugh, and the
/ hupelVssly silly Who can never hr serious
The FratrSt uf nrtur aud the rratrst NJ
men ~ lcttcn have usually been ~ pro-.
iirieut in pathus ~ IN humor because thcN
have had the opportunity aud the encourage.
mcnt Ia display both cuduwmcuts. The
vase ut bacon h Curiuusly IN polut It's HE
had been spcut iu inrcs,lnt and we'll nigh
universal studies IN the most tuilsnmc form.
Ne and parliamentary labor. and w never
ending court intrigue. Vet he hal u humur.
OTIS .idr in hi wonderfully complex char.
actor and could even find time a. be- dc.
Cidcily funny himself On one ucCas0n. being
laid up with 90 uf the ruui be- dictated a.
his secretary q long string II "apnpthrrm,.
or c1nir anecdotes and SAYING. the highest
81 ID.
they have been unhlushiurly pnriarigcd iu
1 "Iuc Miller and uumhcrlcss other Jest
huok,, "louTo inirnallu.' the illustrious
lawyer statesman and philosopher had %
Successor IN the office Ut lord chancellor
Whose name Will not cease a. hc cNrrfatcd
~ that of ono uf the worst of man.
kiui. Ocuugr lurl l,lcfics possessed n
rumc vein Ia his otherwise horrible
nature IT, originated the cquiyurnl enter
taiumruts subsequently, revived hy the nov
happily extinct Judge and lup spyicty.''
and bis grynt delight after dinner when his
, hanging functions tor the day wyrr over. was
tn cause mock trials a. be- held vi his house,
the PARTS uf the Judge, harrisicu and wit
ncsscs being played by professional comcdi
ans. II IT, perhaps, next dnur Ia the impos
! siblC a. affirm IN hat tragic nature thVru "
not a touch of the farrical aud what comic
nature l. not tempered by an element Of the
pathetic.
W W. GnrFiIu, Ashland, Ky, WIS
currd Of very chrome ulcers by lA.cu pia.